Chapter 34: Li Bai Composed a Hundred Poems Over Wine; I Drink Tea

Xie Ning arched an eyebrow, his interest suddenly piqued.

"Oh? And what would you like to wager?"

The corners of Yuwen Yue’s mouth curled into an even deeper smile.

"Let us wager on this position of Princess’s Consort. If you lose, you must admit before the entire world that you are an unlearned wastrel, and you shall never harass Her Highness the Princess again."

"And if I were to lose..."

He paused, a flicker of ruthless intensity flashing in his eyes.

"I, Yuwen Yue, shall lay down my brush forever and never write another word in my life."

As these words fell, the entire assembly was struck with shock.

Lay down his brush!

For a scholar who viewed poetry as his very lifeblood, what did it mean to lay down the brush? No one had expected Yuwen Yue to stake so much. He was determined to settle everything in one decisive battle! He was using his future and his reputation as a weapon to corner Xie Ning.

Every gaze in the garden was riveted upon Xie Ning. They wanted to see if this arrogant wastrel would dare to accept the challenge in the face of such a heavy wager. The very breath of the crowd seemed to stop in that instant. They were all waiting for Xie Ning’s response. In their eyes, the only logical choice for Xie Ning was to refuse. Unless he had lost his mind, he should know that he did not have a shred of a chance at victory. To agree would be to invite humiliation.

Yet, Xie Ning’s reaction once again defied everyone’s expectations. Far from feeling any fear or hesitation, he let out a sharp laugh. He stood up, sauntered over to Yuwen Yue, and looked him up and down. His expression was that of someone observing a clownish buffoon.

"Master Yuwen, aren't you a bit too confident in yourself?" Xie Ning said with a grin. "Laying down your brush and never writing another word—that bet sounds quite frightening. However..." His tone shifted, and his smile became playful. "To me, it doesn't seem very attractive. Whether you write poetry or not is none of my damn business."

"Pfft!"

Xie Ning’s crude and blunt remark caused more than a few scholars present to nearly cough up blood. This... this was the ultimate insult to a man of letters. What did he mean by "none of your damn business"? Did he not know that a single poem by Master Yuwen could fetch a sky-high price of a thousand gold pieces in the capital? Did he not realize how many people had worn out the threshold of the Prime Minister’s residence just to beg for a piece of his calligraphy? How could this unlearned wastrel dare to be so dismissive?

Yuwen Yue’s face flushed a deep, liver-colored purple. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his folding fan.

"You... do not rely on your glib tongue!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Just tell me—do you dare, or do you not!"

"I dare, why wouldn't I?" Xie Ning shrugged, looking completely nonchalant. "However, I’m not betting on the position of Consort. Who becomes the Consort depends on whom Qingning likes. Betting on that is meaningless. Why don't we add a little more to the pot?"

Add to the pot? Everyone was stunned. Had this fellow lost his mind?

Yuwen Yue’s expression remained grim. He thought to himself that he had somehow inadvertently lowered his own image in the eyes of the Grand Princess. But then, he sneered.

"Fine! Tell me, what do you wish to add?"

In his view, Xie Ning was merely bluffing, struggling in his death throes. No matter what was added, he was destined to lose.

Xie Ning rubbed his chin, appearing to think seriously. A moment later, he clapped his hands.

"I’ve got it." He pointed at Yuwen Yue and grinned. "How about this: if you lose, in addition to laying down your brush, you must add one more condition. From then on, whenever you see me, you must kneel and respectfully call me 'Grandfather' three times. How about that?"

"Boom!"

Once these words were spoken, the entire Imperial Garden erupted in an uproar. Everyone looked at Xie Ning as if he were a lunatic. Arrogant! He was far too arrogant! This was madness beyond measure! To make a dignified son of the Prime Minister, the greatest talent in the capital, kneel and call him 'Grandfather'? This was no longer just humiliation; this was taking Yuwen Yue’s face and grinding it into the dirt under his heel!

"You are courting death!"

Yuwen Yue could no longer suppress the rage in his heart and let out a roar. A surge of righteous scholarly aura erupted from his body, though in Xie Ning’s eyes, this energy was as weak as a newborn chick.

"Fine, I accept your wager!" Yuwen Yue’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Xie Ning. "But if you lose! Not only will you admit you are a wastrel and leave Her Highness the Princess forever, but you must also break your own legs and crawl out of the Imperial Palace! And from that day forward, you are never to set foot in the city of Jian'an again!"

He was determined to completely destroy Xie Ning!

Ruthless! It was far too ruthless! Everyone gasped. They had not expected that an elegant poetry gathering would devolve into such a brutal, high-stakes gamble. This was now a fight to the death.

Li Qingning’s heart rose to her throat. She looked at Xie Ning, anxious and wanting to intervene, but Xie Ning merely cast a reassuring glance her way.

Then, he turned back to the now irrational Yuwen Yue, his smile growing even more radiant.

"No problem," he agreed decisively. "It is settled."

His nonchalant demeanor only sowed a seed of inexplicable unease in Yuwen Yue’s heart. *Could this wastrel truly have some secret advantage? No, that’s impossible! He must be bluffing! I cannot possibly lose!* Yuwen Yue screamed internally.

Above them in the viewing pavilion, the Empress Dowager watched the tense standoff below, a cold curve touching her lips. This was exactly the effect she wanted. Let them cause a scene; the greater the chaos, the better. The more miserably Xie Ning lost later, the more satisfied she would be.

"Very well!" The Empress Dowager tapped her armrest and spoke in a clear, loud voice. "Since both parties have made a wager, let His Majesty serve as witness!"

"Today, I shall serve as your witness," the young Emperor Li Qingzhi said. Although he felt the situation spiraling out of his control, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

"Someone!" the Empress Dowager commanded again. "Bring the wine! Today, I wish to see whether Master Yuwen’s brilliant talent prevails, or if the wild boasts of the Heir of Xie are nothing but a joke!"

Immediately, palace maids approached with trays. On the trays sat two exquisite wine cups and a pot of the finest imperial vintage. The maids poured a cup for each of them. The aroma of the wine wafted through the air, refreshing and intoxicating.

Yuwen Yue picked up his cup and downed it in one gulp, his movements incredibly dashing.

"Excellent wine!" he exclaimed, overflowing with spirit. "Heir of Xie, if you please!"

All eyes fell upon Xie Ning. Since ancient times, scholars composing poetry almost always required wine to stir their spirits. Wine could ignite inspiration and guide one into a tipsy, transcendent state of creation. They all wanted to see how Xie Ning, this fake scholar, would handle it.

However, Xie Ning didn't even glance at the cup of wine. He simply waved his hand toward the peach blossoms behind him.

"Miss Taohua, please, fetch me a cup of tea. Make sure it's freshly brewed and hot."